The Year of the Dragon begins now, represented in the Chinese zodiac by the Water Dragon. There is some irony in that, because the worst drought in 50 years has forced Chinese maritime authorities to close the Yangtze River above the port of Wuhan, more than 600 miles upriver from Shanghai.

The principle of "One hand washing the other" might apply to Washington bureaucrats and politicians, but Long Beach port authorities are having none of it. The angst over the LB city council demanding an extra dollop of cash from the port for the Tidelands fund continues…